The Chilton County Board of Education approved social studies textbook adoptions for the 2014 school year after several minutes of discussion Tuesday.

After meeting with the Chilton County School System’s textbook committee, Curriculum Coordinator and Professional Development Director Nichelle Bulger-Johnson submitted the following list of textbook selections to the board for approval:

•Kindergarten–fifth grade: Social Studies Weekly – American Legacy.

•Grade 6: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt – U.S. History/Civil War to the Present Alabama – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 7: Civics in Practice – Principles of Government and Economics Alabama – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 7: Alabama Civics and Geography – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 7: World Geography/Alabama – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 8: World History: Ancient Civilizations Through the Renaissance/Alabama – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 9: Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 10: The Americans: Beginnings to 1914/Alabama – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 11: The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century/Alabama – Holt McDougal.

•Grade 12: Magruder’s American Government/Alabama – Prentice-Pearson Hall.

•Grade 12: Prentice Hall Economics – Prentice-Pearson Hall.

•Grades 9-12: Understanding Psychology – McGraw-Hill.

•Grades 9-12: Sociology & You – McGraw-Hill.

The textbooks the committee recommended to the board were selected from a list of recommended textbooks and supplemental materials from the Alabama State Department of Education.

Board member Pam Price expressed concerns Tuesday about whether the Social Studies Weekly for K-fifth grade presented to the board for adoption would be sufficient for students as it is deemed a “consumable” and contains fewer pages than an average textbook.

“The textbook committee did go through each of these recommendations to give to the board for possible adoption,” Bulger-Johnson said. “These are the resources available to teach the course of study standards. The state department has already gone through it to correlate it with the standards.”

Assistant Superintendent and Personnel Director Willie Mae White explained that books not on the recommended list from the state department couldn’t be brought to the board for possible adoption.

White added that the state’s recommended textbook list contained only two options for fifth grade, further limiting the school system’s choices.

“Two options were given on the recommendation list from the state for fifth grade – one was the one we had for K–4 already, and the other was supplemental,” White said. “We can’t adopt supplemental materials to be used as a textbook. This is the smallest list that we’ve ever seen before.”

In other business, the board:

•Approved the following resignations: Debra Higgins, elementary teacher at Clanton Intermediate School, effective May 23; Willie Earl Lewis, custodian at Clanton Middle School, effective May 30; Darrell Moncus, social science teacher at Chilton County High School, effective May 23; Judy Patterson, special education teacher at Jemison Elementary School, effective June 1; Patsy Ratliff, assistant principal at Isabella, effective June 1; Barbara Rush, elementary teacher at Isabella, effective June 1; Sheri Tuck, physical education teacher at Chilton County High School, effective May 23; Juanita Barrick, secretary at Clanton Elementary School, effective May 23; Debra Ward, math teacher at Verbena High School, effective May 23; and Ann Davenport, secretary at Jemison High School, effective June 1.

•Approved the following school/shop requests: Jemison High – Approval of Brooke Elliott as technology coordinator; Thorsby – Approval to add Holly Deavers as track coach and Josh Deavers as golf coach to the 2013-2014 supplement list, and approval of Kelly Wood as certified substitute ($71.25 per day); Bus Shop – Approval to add an extra bus to Janice Porter’s fueling fleet retroactive to Feb. 19.

•Approved to send non-renewal letters.

•Approved a revised policy for Educational Field Trips (IFCB & JSA) and revised form for the Request For Use of School Bus form (IFCB-F1 & TAH-F).

•Approved long-term placement of three students in the Chilton Alternative Program.

•Approved the following employees: Dija Fletcher, .5 unit special education teacher assistant (only for the remainder of the school year) at Maplesville; Bridget Hand, payroll bookkeeper/purchasing agent/board clerk (12 months) at the Central Office; and Mary Mitchell, secretary/bookkeeper (12 months) at LeCroy Career Technical Center.

•Approved to post job vacancies.

•Approved to allow Chilton County Schools Maintenance Supervisor Wayne Howell to employ the same summer helpers he had in 2013.

•Approved to allow Vicki’s Dance to hold a dance recital in the Maplesville High School auditorium May 19.

•Accepted a bid from Central Contracting for $80,500 for repairs and upgrades to the kitchen at Chilton County High School this summer.

•Approved to pay Chilton County Sheriff’s deputy David Hubbard out of 60-30 funds (career tech tax funds) for his work with the Public Service Academy at LeCroy Career Technical Center.

•Approved to allow Clanton Middle School students to participate in the National Archery Tournament in Louisville, Ky., May 8–10.

•Approved an amended agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.

•Approved payrolls and account payables for March.

•Approved minutes from the March 18 board meeting.

•Approved the monthly financial statement and bank reconciliations of the Central Office for March 2014 as presented by Chief Financial Officer Steve Yeargan.

•Approved use of a school bus for First United Methodist preschoolers to visit Clanton Elementary kindergarten on April 30.

•Approved Child Nutrition Program and Special Education Program requests.

•Approved an English Language Learners summer camp funded by Title III to be held at Clanton Elementary and Jemison Elementary schools.